The international conference "WOW Physics! –
Women in the World of Physics!", initiated by a female physics professor
at Goethe University, brings outstanding female physicists onto the virtual
stage and inspires participants of all ages and from all continents with its
diverse program.
FRANKFURT. Women
still constitute a minority when it comes to the field of physics; in Germany,
only about 13% of physics professors are female, and the situation is not much
better in other Western countries. There are many reasons for this, one of
which is certainly the lack of role models. Giving them a stage and making the
work of female physicists visible worldwide was the goal of this week's
"WOW Physics! – Women in the World of Physics!" conference. The
international event was held online, and made its debut at Frankfurt's Goethe
University. Following the opening remarks by Germany's Federal Minister of
Education and Research Bettina Stark-Watzinger and Hessian Minister for Science
and the Arts Angela Dorn, Goethe University
President Prof. Enrico Schleiff emphasized the importance of the conference's
format: "The incredibly high number of participants illustrates the enormous
importance and the outstanding contribution made by women in physics, and in
the natural sciences in general! It gives us a sense of how important such
events and support measures are, and how significant such networking events can
be, especially in this field."
At 950, the number of participants
exceeded the expectations of the conference organizers. "We are completely
overwhelmed by this response and by the enthusiasm with which the event was received
by the participants," says Laura Sagunski, professor at Goethe
University's Institute for Theoretical Physics and conference initiator. She
and her team were able to attract several renowned female scientists from all
subfields of physics, who gave lectures at the 3-day event. Among those presenting their research were Laura
H. Greene, who serves as one of the advisors to the U.S. president, and Melissa
Franklin, who was involved in the discovery of the heaviest elementary particle
known to date. Since numerous students and even pupils had registered for the
conference, the aim was to present the content in the most comprehensible way
possible.
There was also room for non-scientific topics: Dorothée Weber-Bruls, for
instance, recounted her path to becoming a patent attorney, which she started
during her doctorate in physics, with intermediate stops at television and in
management consulting. As president of Germany's Physical Society
(Physikalischer Verein: Gesellschaft für Bildung und Wissenschaft) – the first
woman to hold the position in the association's near 200-year history – physics
education is a topic that is especially close to her heart: "My goal is to
spark interest in the subject and to nurture talent." The conference also
included a roundtable discussion on the paths taken by different women in
science. The session was moderated by Jessica Wade, who is best known for her
contributions to Wikipedia about scientists from underrepresented groups – a
commitment that was recently awarded with the prestigious British Empire Medal.
In addition to the challenges the panelists encountered at various career
stages, the debate also offered practical tips. As a result, participants are
able to make their virtual way not only home but potentially also into a future
in physics, armed with both new knowledge as well as a large dose of
encouragement.
Conference
information: WOW Physics! (9-November 11, 2022):Overview · Indico (cern.ch)
Further
information
Prof. Dr. Laura Sagunski
Institute for Theoretical Physics
Goethe University
Tel: +49 69 798 47888
sagunski@itp.uni-frankfurt.de
https://dmgw.space/home
Twitter: @DMGW _Frankfurt